Category: Galatians
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My papers on Galatians and Ephesians at IBR/SBL 2022
My papers at IBR/SBL 2022: How does the first half of Galatians 6:16 help us understand what Paul means by the “Israel of God”? In the united body of Christ in Ephesians, is there room for plurality?
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Paul did not say he had abandoned “Judaism”
A new journal article examines in detail the meaning of the words often translated as “Judaism” and “Judaize” in Galatians
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Justification and Union with Christ in Paul – PowerPoint for paper
A link to the PowerPoint for the paper I am giving today at the Moore College Justification Summit
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Did Paul reject “Judaism?”
Galatians 1:13-14 is not making a direct statement about Paul’s rejection of “Second Temple Judaism”. Rather, Galatians 1:13-14 is simply saying that Paul had rejected one particular Jewish idea – Ἰουδαϊσμός.
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Publication notice: The Seed, the Many and the One in Galatians 3:16
This essay offers a fresh interpretation of Galatians 3:16, by paying close attention to features of the source text on which it is based: Genesis 17.
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When Paul used the word “Judaism” in Galatians 1:13-14, what was he talking about?
In my book, I argue that the rare word Ἰουδαϊσμός–which is usually translated “Judaism” in our Bibles (Gal 1:13-14)–doesn’t mean “Judaism” in the modern sense of a system of religious thought. Rather, it should be understood in a vocational sense.
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“The Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16): gospel-believing Jewish teachers
In my book, I argue that the phrase “as many as will conform with this rule” (Gal 6:16) is a reference to a particular kind of Jewish teacher, which implies that the “Israel of God” is a reference to gospel-believing Jews, not to the church of Jews and Gentiles together.
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Not My People: Gentiles as Exiles in Pauline Hermeneutics
David Starling‘s recently published dissertation has received quite a favourable review. Here are some choice excerpts from the review, which made me cheer: [T]he situation of the Israel under judgment in Gal 2:15–4:11 corresponds to the existence of the godless Gentile sinners, and the corollary is that believing and justified Gentiles obtain the same position…
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Are the Gentiles included in Israel?
Μὴ γένοιτο! No way! Gentiles don’t need to be included in Israel. In fact, the opposite is true; we Gentiles are saved by faith in Christ without being included in Israel. That’s one of the apostle Paul’s big points in Romans and Galatians. We are, of course, included in the promises given to Abraham (Rom…
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The Purpose of the Law in Galatians 3
What is the purpose of the law according to Galatians 3? (This post is part of a series) The immediate question in Galatians 3:17 is that of the status of the Sinai covenant. Paul’s opponents seem to have been arguing that the Gentiles could only be blessed if they joined the covenant people and submitted…
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The mediator in Galatians 3:20
Galatians 3:20 is literally translated: A mediator is not of one, yet God is one. The word “one” can mean either “one (as opposed to many)”; or it can mean “united (as opposed to divided)”. What does it mean in this verse? And what does this verse have to do with Paul’s argument about the…
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The ratification of the covenant in Galatians 3:17
We have seen that the “seed” of Galatians 3:16 is referring to Genesis 17:8. In Galatians 3:16, Paul is explaining to the gentile Galatians that the “seed” of Genesis 17:8 is the “one” nation Israel, not the “multitude” of nations who will also have Abraham as their father (Genesis 17:5). In Galatians 3:17, Paul goes…
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The singular seed of Galatians 3:16
What is the purpose of Paul’s argument in Galatians 3:16? (This post is part of a series) In Galatians 3:16, Paul exegetes a phrase from the Abrahamic narrative: “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It does not say, ‘And to seeds’, as though to a multitude (ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν), but…
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The word ‘covenant’ in Galatians 3:15
What does the word διαθήκη (“covenant”) mean in Galatians 3:15? (This post is part of a series) Some interpreters understand the word to mean “last will and testament”.[1] In this understanding, when Paul speaks in “human terms” (κατὰ ἄνθρωπον) about a “human” covenant (ἀνθρώπον [. . .] διαθήκην) he refers to the secular Graeco-Roman practice…
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The covenants in Galatians 3:15-22 – Introduction
The argument of Galatians 3:15–22 is “generally reckoned among the most difficult in Paul”.[1] In Galatians, Paul is strenuously arguing against opponents who want the Gentile Christians to adopt circumcision and the law (i.e. become ethnic Jews) as a prerequisite for salvation in Christ (e.g. Gal 2:14, 4:21, 5:3, 11, 6:13). Wright, in the light…
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The problem with Galatians
I thought this was too good to pass over: If Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians was Published in Christianity Today Thanks Joel Riley for the link.